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Valve continues to put console gaming in its crosshairs with news that a dozen new Steam Machines are hitting this November. Prices aren't concrete, but the company promises higher performance than game consoles starting at "the same price point." What's more, new units from Alienware and Falcon Northwest are on display at this year's Game Developers Conference, with the latter showing off Unreal Tournament running on a 4K monitor.

Don't miss out on all the latest from GDC 2015! Follow along at our events page right here.

Last summer, Alienware unveiled a 13-inch gaming laptop. It was by far the thinnest and lightest machine the brand had put out in years -- and it was a helluva lot smaller than the Alienware 14 it replaced, too. Well, it looks like there was more where that came from: Dell just announced a slimmed-down version of its Alienware 17 notebook, along with a brand-new 15-inch system -- the first machine of this size that Alienware has offered in two years. What's more, the company is discontinuing its massive 18-inch model, confirming that as far as gaming laptops go, there really is such a thing as too big.%Gallery-slideshow255839%

Interested in Alienware's Alpha Steam Machine? We reviewed it. Wondering what Sony has up its sleeve for CES 2015? We have that too. In fact, we rounded up a whole bunch of today's news highlights in the gallery below, including the latest on Nintendo's Amiibo figurines, Seagate's uber-cheap hard drive and a wearable that shoots fireballs. Enjoy.

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alienwarealienwarealphaamiiboces2015engadgetdailynintendosonytdrFri, 12 Dec 2014 18:39:00 -050021|21115722http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/12/alienware-alpha-review/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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It's hard to describe the Alienware Alpha. On the surface, it's a small-form gaming PC, custom-built from laptop components to fit in your entertainment center. But it was supposed to be a frontrunner in a new category of gaming devices. It isn't. Valve's Steam Machine initiative was delayed past its original launch window, leaving manufacturers like Dell to fend for themselves in a market that doesn't exist yet. It's a weird, awkward place to be in, but here we are, testing the Alienware Alpha: a Steam Machine before its time. The question is: Can one of the biggest names in PC gaming succeed where others have failed?%Gallery-slideshow250542%

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alienwareAlienware AlphaAlienwareAlphaalphadellreviewsteam machinesteam machinessteammachinesteammachinesuk-reviewsvalveFri, 12 Dec 2014 12:00:00 -050021|21114102http://www.joystiq.com/2014/11/23/the-alienware-alpha-has-come-for-your-money-earthlings/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
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Alienware and parent company Dell have made good on the promise to release a console-sized, TV-oriented PC by year's end with the Alienware Alpha - a not-quite Steam Machine that runs Windows 8.1 and comes with an Xbox 360 controller (as opposed to running SteamOS and utilizing a Steam Controller the way a "true" Steam Machine does).

For $550, you can order the base model, which comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M graphics card, Intel i3 processor, 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive. For $700, you can double the RAM and storage capacity to 8 GB and 1 TB, respectively. For $800, the Alpha will come with an i5 processor instead of an i3 (as well as the additional RAM and storage space). Lastly, for $900, you can get an Alienware Alpha with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M, i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage.

If you prefer to do your shopping in person, the Alpha is available at select Walmart and Fry's Electronics locations. Online, you can order via Walmart, Fry's Electronics, Dell, Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon, NewEgg, Sam's Club and Tiger Direct. Hey, maybe you'll even get one in time for the supposed Steam Fall Sale start date of November 26 and put it to use right away.

Eager to get a truly TV-oriented gaming PC without waiting until the official Steam Machine launch in 2015? Alienware is more than happy to oblige: at long last, it's shipping the Alpha console. You can now shell out $549 or more to get a living room-friendly Windows PC with a custom interface designed to work with an included Xbox 360 gamepad. Don't expect an ideal Far Cry 4 machine out of the box, however. Every system can play some modern titles thanks to GeForce GTX 860M graphics, but that base system comes with a modest Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive; you'll have to pay $699 if you want more memory and storage, and at least $799 if you want a faster CPU. This doesn't include a mouse and keyboard, either. Nonetheless, the Alpha could be a solid pick if a PS4 or Xbox One just won't cut it.

If you liked the looks of Alienware's new thin-and-light 13-inch laptop or its bigass, futuristic-looking Area-51 desktop, then listen up: Both are on sale beginning tomorrow, with shipments starting in November, and we finally know the full specs. Starting with the Alienware 13, it goes from $999 (£949 in the UK) with a dual-core Core i5-4210U processor, 8GB of RAM, a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce 860M GPU, 1TB 5,400RPM disk and a fairly low-res 1,366 x 768, non-touch matte display. If you like, you can step up to 16GB of RAM, either a hybrid hard drive or up to a 512GB SSD, and either a 1080p non-touch display or a 2,560 x 1,440 touchscreen. It would seem, though, that despite those various upgrade options, there's only one choice for the CPU and graphics card. Regardless of the configuration you get, the whole thing comes wrapped in a slimmed-down package that weighs about four and a half pounds and measures an inch thick.%Gallery-slideshow236587%

We know what you're thinking: What the hell is a "graphics amplifier"? (Some of you smartasses are probably also wondering if it goes to 11.) In fact, it is what it sounds like: The Amplifier, a new accessory from Alienware, is a big ol' shell that lives on your desk, with room for nearly any desktop-grade GPU (anything up to 375 watts). Once you get that set up, you plug the thing into your gaming laptop via a cable and boom, your notebook is suddenly running off a desktop-grade GPU, not the mobile one that came built inside the chassis. As a bonus, the Amplifier also has four powered USB ports, so you can also use this as a docking station for your keyboard, mouse, monitor, et cetera. And yes, that glowing Alienware head on the front has customizable lighting. Of course it does. %Gallery-slideshow235554%%Gallery-slideshow236588%

Today, we take a look at Google's "Project Wing" delivery drone, go crazy with emoticons, learn about Nintendo's new 3DS and 3DS XL handhelds and more. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.

After a few years finding itself/getting a heavy-duty industrial makeover, Alienware's well-respected (and, importantly, customizable) desktop gaming PC has returned. The Area-51 isn't small, but it now has a new triangular... hexagonal... something-between-the-two design, intentionally hewn that way to maintain airflow and keep it cool, even when positioned against a wall. It's certainly come a long way since the tower desktop days of 2011. Given its size, two of the corners have handles to lug it around with -- we hope you can bicep-curl 45 pounds though, because that's how much it weighs. It also looks nothing like Alienware's incoming Steam Machine. (Ironically, the new Area-51 chassis looks far more "Valve," in a lot of ways.)%Gallery-slideshow218475%

"Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS."

Y'all remember the Alienware M11x, right? That compact, netbook-sized gaming laptop with the glowing keyboard that made it look like a spaceship? Anyway, Dell discontinued it back in 2012, only to release several big-screen machines the following year. Well, it looks like someone at the company saw the error of their ways: Dell just announced the Alienware 13, and while it's not the brand's smallest notebook ever, it's definitely the smallest the company has put out in quite some time.%Gallery-slideshow212638%

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alienwarealienware 13alienware13dellgaming laptopgaming laptopsgaming notebookGamingLaptopgaminglaptopshands-onFri, 08 Aug 2014 09:00:00 -040021|20943416http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/12/alienware-to-launch-steamos-less-steam-box-this-year/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
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Alienware Alpha is a small gaming PC designed for the living room, and it launches this holiday for $550. It's Windows-based and ships with an Xbox 360 controller, plus a dongle that supports up to four Xbox 360 controllers, and it will be able to run all games in 1080p and at 60fps.

This is Alienware's Steam Machine in every way except technically: It won't ship with a Steam controller and it won't ship with SteamOS. These are the two things that make a Steam Machine, according to Valve.

"It's absolutely Steam-ready," Alienware Global Marketing Director Bryan de Zayas told Joystiq on the E3 show floor. "It's not that we're bypassing Steam. It's critical. They have the majority of the digital downloads."%Gallery-slideshow159658%

Alienware is no slouch when it comes to cranking out high-end gaming PCs, but its approach to Valve's Steam Machine project is a bit different. The company is looking to deliver a high-quality PC gaming experience to the living room, but the execution doesn't sound much different from the experience that's already available for other machines running Valve's made-for-TV Big Picture Mode (BPM). The rub of the Alienware Alpha series is that the diminutive PC boots directly into BPM automatically after hitting the rig's power button. The problem with that is two-fold: Big Picture Mode doesn't do the best job of identifying which games are fully controller supported, and because Valve recently delayed its in-house designed controller (which essentially is a stand-in for a mouse), OEMs not delaying hardware of their own need to come up with work arounds.

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Alienware's upcoming Steam Machine may be many things - stylish, made in collaboration with Valve, upgradeable, due this September - but one thing it won't be is a source of major income for parent company Dell. Division general manager Frank Azor told The Wall Street Journal that the Alienware Steam Machine will "absolutely be the least profitable system" the company will ever sell.

Unfortunately, we still don't know the pricing scheme of Alienware's entry to the already-crowded Steam Machine market. We don't even know what's going to be inside of the thing, other than an Intel processor and an Nvidia graphics card. It is, for now, a low-profit mystery.

For those folks out to nab up a bit of fun this week, we've compiled a few gaming deals that will certainly lend a hand. From the latest Call of Duty installment to a 17-inch gaming laptop, we've got a variety of picks to suit a range of gamer sensibilities. Browse the options we've selected just past the break.

Just window shopping? No worries. Join us and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your Want list; every time there's a price cut in the future, you'll get an email alert!

"Upgrading the internal components will not be as easy as compared to other platforms [...]," company general manager Frank Azor explained in a statement to Eurogamer, "but we will not prevent a customer from upgrading."

Azor cited the small physical size of Alienware's Steam Machine as a specific factor impeding hardware upgrades. Azor recommends that users who approach PC hardware with upgrading in mind should stick with pre-built setups like the Alienware X51. Previously, Azor implied that Alienware's Steam Machines hardware would not be moddable at all, noting that "this particular product is restricted in its upgrade options."

Alienware announced this week that new models of its Steam Machines hardware will be issued yearly as the company updates internal components and specifications. Alienware's first Steam Machine will launch in September.

"Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years. We will be updating our Steam Machines every year," Azor said.

There will be no customization options in Alienware's Steam Machines, Azor continued: "You can't really update it." Customers will have small range of configurations to choose from, such as more memory or a faster CPU, he said. Those who want to beef up their machines on their own are better off with a standard PC, Azor noted - after all, anyone can turn a PC into a Steam Machine by buying a Steam Controller and downloading SteamOS.

"If you actually want to customize your Alienware Steam Machine, maybe change your graphics card out or put in a new CPU, you would be better off with the standard Alienware X51. This particular product is restricted in its upgrade options."

The first round of Alienware Steam Machines are due to hit retail in September.

EurogamerTrusted Reviews
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alienwarepcSTEAMsteam-machinessteamosvalvex51Tue, 21 Jan 2014 15:00:00 -050011|20812609http://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/15/alienware-steam-machine-makes-contact-in-september/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
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Alienware's Steam Machine will launch in September, the company announced today at the Steam Dev Days conference. Alienware didn't provide any specs or pricing, but did say it's using a Haswell chip and it will "constantly update" the box, Hot Blooded Games CFO Dave Oshry tweeted.

Take a closer look at Alienware's Steam Machine, along with 12 other boxes from different manufacturers, in our galleries from CES.

During Steam Dev Days, which is open to developers and publishers only, Valve's Steam Machines team stressed that it accounts for the entire living room experience, not only gaming, with the new hardware initiative. Consoles and PCs have to only ship with a Steam Controller and SteamOS, Valve's Linux-based operating system, to be considered Steam Machines, Valve spokesperson Anna Sweet told us at CES.

"Our goal with Steam Machines has never been to force customers into the living room if they don't want to go," the Steam Machines team said at Dev Days.

The Alienware-made Steam Machine we showed you at CES 2014 arrives in September, the company announced during Valve's first Steam Dev Days conference in Seattle. Alienware's little black box has some form of Haswell chip inside, and promised us earlier this year that it'd "perform on par with a gaming notebook" -- outside of that, we don't know any specifics on what powers it. The company's apparently hoping to push it across "several market segments," which we take to mean you can configure it to a variety of different spec/price points. We've reached out to Dell for more specific info and will update this piece as we learn more!

We all saw this coming, right? Alienware is getting in on Steam OS, and what you see above is the first Steam Machine from Dell's gaming brand. It looks surprisingly measured considering its X51 brethren! Just ahead of CES 2014, Dell showed us the Alienware Steam Machine: It's set to arrive in the "later half of 2014," and Dell isn't talking specs just yet (except to say that it will perform on par with a gaming notebook).

Even then, Dell reps declined to make any specific comparisons with Alienware's current notebook offerings, so you really won't know until later if this is an Alienware 14 or 18 equivalent. As for the price, it will be "highly competitive to the next generation of consoles," according to Marc Diana with Alienware business development. So, between $400 and $500, then? Dell is hoping it can sell more Steam Machines than all the other guys, even if this is something of an experimental category. "We feel we are uniquely positioned in that we can serve a lot of customers from the start," Diana told us.%Gallery-slideshow158068%

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alienwarealienwaresteammachineces2014dellhands-onSteamMachinesteammachinesvalveMon, 06 Jan 2014 21:00:00 -050021|20795826http://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/06/alienware-announces-valve-partnership-steam-machines/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
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Alienware will beam a Steam Machine down to Earth in late 2014, the Dell subsidiary announced today. No spec details or price was given, but the Alienware Steam Machine will, according to a statement by Gabe Newell given in a press release, encapsulate "the full potential of what a Steam Machine should be." If by "full potential" Newell means that it looks pretty, well, we can't argue there. Sleek!

"We have been working with Alienware since we began defining our vision of the Steam Machine," Newell said. "Alienware's historic commitment to gaming, their design and engineering capabilities and their global reach made them an ideal partner for us on our Steam Machine project."

Alienware will also be offering a Steam Machine version of their X51 desktop PC in late 2014.

Remember those Steam Machine partners we heard about? Gabe Newell just took the stage at Valve's CES 2014 event and made them official, doling out specs for gaming rigs from Alienware, CyberPower, Gigabyte, iBuyPower, Falcon Northwest, and more. There are thirteen machines in all, varying from $500 to $6000 a piece. Not all of them revealed their full hardware specifications, but skip past the break, and we'll give you a rundown of what we know.

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alienwarealternateces2014CyberpowerPCDigital StormFalcon NorthwestGigabytehdpostcrossiBuyPowerMateriel.netNEXTOrigin PCScansteamsteamboxsteamcontrollersteammachinessteamosvalveWebhallenZotacMon, 06 Jan 2014 20:59:00 -050021|20801980http://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/06/valves-steam-machine-partners-include-alienware-gigabyte-more/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Joystiq&ncid=rss_semi
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Valve is working with partners to bring Steam Machines into living rooms this year, and our Engadget pals learned of some of those partners at this year's CES trade show in Vegas. Dell subsidiary Alienware and Taiwanese manufacturer Gigabyte are two of the stand-out names among the 12 third-parties in Engadget's list.

Valve revealed the Steam Machines program last year as part of a three-headed march on the living room, along with SteamOS, its customized Linux operating system, and its Steam-optimized controller. Valve's aim is to provide a variety of Steam-centric gaming machines to suit a variety of homes. So far the number of homes is restricted to 300, where the same number of first-party Steam Machines reside as part of beta testing.

Valve's Steam Machines initiative is supported by a first-party box that 300 beta users have right now, but 2014 is all about third-party Steam Machines taking that reference box and running with it. Thus far, the only third parties we know of that're making Steam Machines are iBuyPower and Digital Storm -- today, that all changes. Alienware, Falcon Northwest, iBuyPower, CyberPowerPC, Origin PC, Gigabyte, Materiel.net, Webhallen, Alternate, Next, Zotac and Scan Computers are among the first companies signed on to support Valve's initiative, Engadget learned this afternoon.

The entire lineup will be on display this week at CES 2014, and we'll have many more details in the coming days. Beyond the dozen companies above, it's totally possible that there are other third parties signed on for Steam Machines -- we'll have to wait and see when Valve unveils everything at its press conference tomorrow afternoon.

Update: As seen in the image above, live from Valve's CES 2014 presser, those third-party manufacturers are double confirmed. Maingear is the final addition that makes 14 in total.